


History of Coffee Beans

by LemonMoonChild



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:08:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24941347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LemonMoonChild/pseuds/LemonMoonChild
Summary: Dean Winchester has been hopelessly in love with his best friend for five years. Too afraid of what his true feelings would do to their friendship, he keeps his feeling bottled up inside.But when things take a turn for the worse, Dean is forced to live in close contact with his crush. Now he's desperately trying to keep the bottle from over flowing.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Charlie Bradbury/Original Female Character(s), Gabriel/Sam Winchester
Comments: 3
Kudos: 35





	1. Caffeine-Deprived Philistines

Dean pushed open the door to the coffee shop, sidestepping out of the way as he held the door for a girl who flashed him a grateful smile. Dean returned her smile with a wink which made her cheeks flush and a giggle escape her mouth. The girl walked over to a table in the far corner of the shop to join her friends, casting a glance over her shoulder at Dean as she walked away.  
Dean returned her smile as he let the door close and made his way to the front counter. As he walked Dean continued to cast his eyes across the group of girls, who would catch his eyes with theirs and flash their sweetest smiles.  
Every day, like clockwork, Dean Winchester would stop by Shurley Brothers Coffee House on his way to work. Co-owned by brothers Gabriel and Lucifer Shurley, with the occasional special visit by their eldest brother Michael. Dean had known Gabriel, since before they purchased the store and turned it into the hot spot it was today, Lucifer often joked that he was more of a brother to them than Michael was.  
Dean would stop in once a week for coffee when the store was getting on their feet to chat with Gabriel and Lucifer if he was there. But it wasn't until Gabriel had hired his cousin, Castiel Novak, to work with them had dean started coming around every day. Gabriel was quick to notice Dean's interest in Cas and instantly forced them into a friendship. That was five years ago, and their friendship has only continued to grow, and sprout new shoots that dean hadn't expected.  
"I would appreciate it if you would stop flirting with my customers Dean-o." An annoyed voice said from behind the counter. Dean sighed and swung his head around, facing the voice's owner.  
"No can do, Gabe. I might just be the thing that keeps those customers coming back." Dean smirked, winking in the direction of the girls. Gabriel rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed sigh. Dean's smirk only widened at the shop owners reaction, Gabriel glared at him with his deep umber eyes.  
"Same as usual, Winchester?" Gabriel breathed an annoyed breath, looking down as he scrawled the order across the cup.  
"You know me so well." Dean said, his smile audible. Gabriel grunted before reaching up and sticking the sharpie behind his ear, running a hand through his long golden brown hair as well.  
"Castiel! Order up!" Gabriel called over his shoulder. Dean's heart skipped a beat at the mention of his best friend's name.  
"Got it!" A deep voice shouted from the back room. Dean's eyes snapped up to the door that separated the main part of the shop from the storage room, moments later It swung open. Out stepped Castiel, his dark hair fixed in its usually bed-head style, ocean-blue eyes catching the light and shining, he wore a simple white tee-shirt and black pants, a dark green apron hung untied around his neck the name "Shurley Brothers Coffee House" Embroidered across the top of it.  
Castiel grabbed the strings of the apron as he walked and reached around behind him to tie them together, the muscles in his forearms flexing at the action.  
"Will that be cash or card today?" Gabriel's voice snapped Dean out of his trace, he looked back at the shorter man. Gabriel fixed Dean with a knowing look as he handed Castiel the cup over his shoulder. Castiel looked at the order on the cup, smiling to himself as he walked over to the espresso machine.  
"Hello, Dean." Castiel said not even looking up.  
"Hiya Cas." Dean replied with their usual greeting, feeling his throat go dry as Gabriel wiggled his eyebrows at Dean.  
Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, mumbling curses at Gabriel as he took out his credit card and handed it to the smirking man.  
"Thank you for choosing Shurley Brothers Coffee House and may you have a heavenly day!" Gabriel recited the company thank you with much more peppiness then he would give to a normal customer.  
"Yeah, screw you too." Dean smiled taking his card back from Gabriel. Dean turned away from the register and walked to the pick-up counter, his attention now solely focused on Cas. Dean leaned on the counter and watched Cas work on his drink.  
"You still up for beers at the Roadhouse tonight?" Dean asked Cas, as his eyes tracked every one of the dark-haired man's movements. Dean saw Cas smile as he pressed the espresso grounds into the holder before hooking it in the machine. Cas then turned his oceanic gaze to Dean with that same smile. God, that smile. A smile that made Dean's legs lose all structure and turned his stomach into a fluttering mess.  
"Always. What's the occasion tonight again?" Cas asked, grabbing a bottle of mocha syrup and lacing the inside of Dean's cup in it.  
"Sammy wants to have one last beer before he 'dies from the stress of final exams'." Dean said using air quotes at Sam's words. Cas tipped his head back in a laugh, his Adams Apple bobbing in his neck, Dean was transfixed yet again. Cas recovered, wiping the light water from his eyes with the back of his hand.  
"I remember the stress of those exams. Gives me ulcers just think of it." Cas faked a shudder at the memory, now it was Dean's turn to laugh.  
"Really? they have a degree for making lattes?" Dean teased, Cas shot him a playfully annoyed glance.  
"Haha. Laugh it up. I could be a History professor if there was an opening." Cas retorted back, placing the cup under the espresso dispenser and proceeding to fill it.  
"Instead you're filling the dull minds of caffeine-deprived philistines with information on the rich history of coffee beans." Dean shot back, a smile now plastered on his face.  
"You sound like you want one of my lectures." Cas said, the threat dripping from his tone as he turned and walked to the other end of the kitchen to add more stuff to the drink. Gabriel took notice that Dean was once again alone and practically skipped over to him.  
"You finally ask out Juliet, Romeo?" Gabriel asked in a dreamy voice. Dean bristled at his question and shoved off the counter.  
"You can fuck right off." Dean growled. Gabriel held his palms up defensively, a mischievous smile still stretched across his lips.  
"Hey now, calm down. Just making an observation." Gabriel quipped.  
"Yeah, well you can go observe. . . The register." Dean tried to come up with a comeback. Gabriel raised an eyebrow but turned and went to help a customer. Heat prickled under Dean's skin, spreading across his entire body and undoubtedly flushing his cheeks cherry red.  
Cas returned moments later with Dean's drink in hand. Cas placed the cup on the counter and slid it over to Dean. Dean grabbed the cup and thanked Cas with a nod.  
"So, I'll pick you up around 8?" Dean asked, hoping Cas wouldn't ask why he looked like he was about to spontaneously combust. Cas instead nodded as his attention was focused on his next order.  
"Fantastic. Don't be late, I don't want the cops called on me again because you neighbors think I'm a stalker." Dean said before taking a sip of his coffee. Cas let out a snort of laughter as Dean was walking towards the door.  
"That was one time!" Cas shouted at him, Dean smiled into his cup and pushed open the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter. I will try my hardest to write as much as I can, but note that I am probably the most inconsistent poster on this website. I am so far very happy and engaged with this story and lets hope it stays that way.  
> -LemonMoon


	2. Hacking into the Pentagon again?

Dean pulled into his assigned parking space in front of the garage. Singer Auto and Salvage. Dean had worked for Bobby since he was 14, after his mother died and the state took custody away from his father for being to drunk to raise his kids, Bobby had taken in both Sam and Dean and raised them like his own children.

Dean grabbed his work clothes and coffee in one hand, and his lunch clumsily shoved into a brown paper sack in the other. He glanced from the door handle to his hands for a while before setting the bag down in his lap and reaching over to open the door before. Dean grabbed the bag again and slid out of his '67 Chevy Impala and into the uncharacteristically blistering heat of an early May afternoon.

"Took you long enough to get here." a gruff voice called as dean walked into the shop through one of the opened garage doors. Bobby was standing at the tool counter, sorting through reached of various sizes mumbling under his breath about 'kids these days'. 

"Sorry Bobby, the traffic was a nightmare." Dean smiled at the older man's look of disapproval.

"Sure, and I'm the queen of England. Just get your coveralls on and get to work, idjit." Bobby muttered the last part but it still reached Dean's ears. A smile stretched it's way across deans face at the familiar insult. 

Dean made his way to the back of the shop, where the lockers were propped up in a row against the wall. Walking to the furthest locker dean went to work on the combination lock, removing it after it clicked open. Dean placed his lunch on the top shelf of the locker, eyeing it for a moment to ensure it didn't fall off again. After shrugging off his jacket and flannel and promptly hanging them on the hooks in the locker, Dean pulled his coveralls over his remaining clothes and zipped it up. Dean shut the locker and latched the combination lock back into its place. 

"Late again, Winchester? What excuses was it this time? 'Traffic' or 'slept in'?" Called a thick Louisianan accent from across the shop, Dean turned around to fix the owner of the voice with a glare. Benny was leaning over the open hood of a beat up looking red '06 Saturn ION-3, reaching up with one hand Benny brushed the sleeve of his coveralls over his dripping brow, one look over his shoulder at Dean's glare shook a chuckle from him.

"Hilarious. A true comedic genius." Dean grumbled as he made his way to the office. Benny had been working at the shop almost as long as dean had, save a few years. Benny had came in to get some work done on his 2012 Ford F-450 SUPER DUTY. ( with a emphasis on the 'super duty', Benny was very proud) Him and bobby got talking, turns out he needed a job because he had a kid on the way, and the shop just happened to be in need of a new mechanic. Benny was in the same boat as Dean, no degree but all the know-how. The rest, as they say, is history.

Dean pushed open the door to the office and stepped inside. The change in temperature was almost startling, the sweltering heat from the garage was replaced with the brisk coolness of the air conditioned office. Dean shuddered briefly at the temperature change before walking over to the unsuspecting front desk clerk. 

Eyes glued to her screen and back facing Dean, the short red-head girl completely oblivious to the man standing behind her. 

"Hacking into the Pentagon again?" Dean said suddenly, placing a hand on her shoulder as he spoke. Charlie practically jumped out of her skin as a shocked yelp escaped her lungs. Charlie spun around in her office chair, a rolled up newspaper secured by a rubber band in her hand. 

Charlie smacked Dean in the leg as hard as she could with her weapon she kept for just such occasions. Dean recoiled at the sharp sting, still smiling and laughing through the pain. 

"Dean Winchester, I swear to God! I am sick of you giving me heart attacks everyday!" Charlie half yelled half laughed. Dean continued to laugh hysterically as Charlie continued to hit him with the newspaper roll, shouting at him in between hits. 

"You!" Smack. "Are!" Smack. "A!" Smack. "Ass!" Smack. "Hole!"

"I know, I know, I love you too." Dean finally said after his laughing fit ended. "Got anything for me today, or am I going to have to pretend to help Benny?" Charlie huffed at the ineffectiveness of her very threatening weapon. 

"Yes actually. Azu came by and dropped off her fazer, she wants the oil changed and asked if the head lights checked as well, thinks one of them might be out." Charlie said, tugging her loosening ponytail back to its proper height. Dean placed a hand over his heart and feigned a shocked expression. 

"Really? They great Azu is trusting me to work on her beloved bike? God really does exist!" Dean said in mock happiness, flashing a smile back at Charlie when she glared at him. 

"Yeah, and I talked you up a storm. So don't fudge this or it's my head on the chopping block." Charlie teased waving her finger at dean threateningly. 

Azusena "Azu" Sterling, the complete polar opposite of her wife. Charlie Bradbury had been a friend of Dean's for as long as he could remember. She started working at the shop shortly after Dean, Charlie was in charge of everything that had to do with a computer. Mostly because she was the only one in the entire shop that understood the technology. 

It was working at the shop that lead to her meeting Azu. Azu came in, sporting a white shirt, black leather jacket with the pants to match, her hair cut short almost to her scalp at the sides while topped with about three inches of stark white locks on top. Charlie forgot how to speak the second she walked through the door. Now here they were, married for six years Mrs. And Mrs. Sterling. 

Azu and Dean got along perfectly, which was surprising considering how thick Dean laid on the 'protective-big-brother' act as soon as they started dating. The thing Dean respected the most about her was how she treated her prize bike, 2017 yamaha fazer with a custom paint job of silver and gold wings across the ivory body. 

"I'll make sure I don't 'accidentally', scratch the paint off." Dean said using air quotes around accidentally. A sour look took over Charlie's face at deans joke. Dean held up his palms in submission a chuckle rumbling in his throat. Dean turned around to exit the office and return to his job only to stop abruptly and turn back around to Charlie. 

"Speaking of your lovely wife, you guys are coming to the Roadhouse for drinks tonight right?" Dean asked stepping backwards and grabbing the door handle. 

"Are you going to tell me who it is you're crushing on?" Charlie asked folding her arms across her chest, leaning back in her chair one leg crossed over the other. Deans face flushed for the second time that day. Dean internally cursed himself out for ever telling Charlie that he might not be complete straight, and letting it slip that he was crushing hard on someone of his own gender. Charlie still remains the only one that knows either of those facts. 

"Uh, no." Dean swallowed dryly. Charlie furrowed her brows and glared at Dean. 

"Oh come on Dean! You gotta tell me! I won't tell anybody I swear!" Charlie pleaded, clasping her hands together and scooting the office chair closer. 

"I'm just not ready to tell anybody yet, Charles. You of all people should understand that." Dean countered, Charlie dropped her hands, and scooted back to her desk, pouting the whole time. 

"Ok, ok fine." She grumbled. 

"So is that a yes to drinks. If you need to be swayed anymore, it's for Sam not me." Dean asked again. 

"Of course it's a yes. At least I get to celebrate one gay Winchester." Charlie mumbled with a confirmative nod. 

"Oh yeah, you bet Gabriel is gonna be parading Sam all around letting everyone know his boyfriend is about to graduate law school." Dean smirked. It was often easy for Dean to forget that Gabriel was dating his brother, considering that Gabriel had been Dean's friend before he introduced the two of them amd they hit it off instantly. 

Think about Gabriel sent Dean's mind back to the coffee shop, in turn back to Cas. Dean nodded a good bye to Charlie before opening the door and stepping I to the hot garage. Quickly crossing the floor to the opposite side of the shop where a small bone white bike crouched, awaiting it's tune up. 

Dean instantly went to work, moving his hands to try and distract himself from the swarm of butterflies in his stomach. Adding alcohol to the situation he was in with Cas was a bad idea, and Dean knew it. 

It's ok, I just won't drink that much. I have to drive home anyway. 

Dean thought to himself, silently praying he would listen to himself this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I will try to update every Friday but sometimes life happens. Sorry for the grammar errors, I have very limited internet right now and was unable to pull up Grammarly for help.   
> -LemonMoon


	3. Think of Something Other Than Cas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forewarning: This chapter is where the more sexual stuff starts that earned this story and Explicit rating. Hopefully that is what you were expecting when you clicked on this story and this isn't just a massive surprise to y'all. But still, you have been warned.

Dean spent the majority of his day working on Azu's bike, not that it needed the work, Dean just wanted to look busy. Occasionally Benny would call him over to help with something, but would eventually shoo him away after they disagreed on something.

It was a slow day at the shop. Dean hated slow days, leaves to much time to think. Dean tore his eyes away from the bike for a moment to glance up at the clock. 5:34 it read. Dean sighed as he got to his feet, glancing around the garage until he spotted Bobby talking to a customer outside. Making his way over to his locker, Dean began unzipping his coveralls as he walked. Reaching his locker, Dean unlocked the combination lock and opened it.  
Dean shrugged the coveralls off his shoulders and pulling his arms out the sleeves before slipping it down around his ankles. Dean stepped out of the pile of cloth at his feet, bending down to pick it up and store the bundle on a shelf in the locker. Dean grabbed his flannel and pulled it on, followed by his jacket. Dean patted his jacket pockets to ensure his phone, keys, and wallet where still where he left them.

Right pocket. Phone and wallet. Check.   
Left pocket. Keys. Check.

Dean shut the locker door and reattached the combination lock before turning around and making his way to where he saw Bobby. Dean caught Benny's eye as he walked past and gave him a small wave goodbye, Benny nodded his head in acknowledgment before returning to his work.  
Dean came up behind Bobby and clapped a hand on the older man's shoulder. Bobby didn't flinch at the sudden touch, instead continued to speak to the person in front of him, who happened to be none other than Garth Fitzgerald.

"Hey, Garth." Dean greeted before turning his attention back to Bobby. "Just double-checking that you- well I suppose both of you- are coming to the Roadhouse tonight?"  
"'Course I'm coming ya idjit. I didn't help put your brother though that school to not celebrate with him when he finishes it." Bobby scoffed, Dean rolled his eyes before turning them to Garth.

"I'd love to, but Bess has to work late tonight and I'm stuck with babysitting duty. Tell Sam congrats for me though." Garth said shaking his head lightly.  
"Will do, and good luck with that. See you later Bobby, nice seeing you Garth." Dean said as he was already turned and walking towards the Impala.  
Dean pulled open the door slide into the warm interior of his car. The leather of the seats had heated significantly in the direct sunlight, enough for Dean to avoid touching them with his hands. The steering wheel was no better.

"Ok, just need to get home, shower all the oil and shit off, pick up Cas, try not to do anything stupid while drunk." Dean sighed through the last part as he ran through his plan. Dean started up the Impala, draping an arm over the back of the seat as he looked out the back window as he backed up.

*•°~*•°~*•°~*•°~*•°~*•°~

Dean pulled into his assigned parking spot, killed the engine, and got out of the car. After locking the doors, Dean went straight inside his bottom floor apartment, attempting to avoid any contact he could have with his neighbors.

Once inside the safety of his home dean shed his jacket and hung it on the hook drilled into the door. Dean glanced at the clock on the stove. 6:15 it read. Dean muttered something under his breath about traffic as he made his way to the bathroom.

Dean's apartment was small. The front door opened into a living area where an old deep forest green couch sat next to a metal folding chair in front of the TV. Just to the left of the door was the kitchen, a countertop, and cabinets creating a divider between the living area and the kitchen. Inside the kitchen were just the basics, a stove with a microwave above it, and a fridge on the opposite side of the kitchen.

A small hallway leads the way to Dean's bedroom and across from that the bathroom. A small closet housed the washer and dryer at the end of the hall. Dean began taking off his clothes even before he made it to the bathroom, pulling off his flannel and tugging his shirt over his head before tossing them in the hamper in front of the closet.  
Pushing open the bathroom door, Dean stepped onto the cold tile wearing nothing but his boxers. Dean tugged the shower curtain aside slightly, reached inside, and turned on the shower. With a hiss, ice-cold water began pouring from the showerhead. Dean withdrew his arm just as some of the frigid water landed on his skin, mumbling about the cold water.

Taking a step back as the shower began heating up, Dean pulled down his boxers before tossing them in the Hamler with the rest of his clothes. Dean shivered lightly at the rush of cold air that greeted his freshly freed dick. Dean returned to the side of the shower, sticking his hand in to test if the water had warmed up yet. It had.

Dean pulled the curtain completely out of the way and stepped inside before promptly closing the curtain again. Dean welcomed the sudden spray of hot water as it came in contact with his skin, unashamed at the small moan that escaped his throat.

Dean went to work washing his body, scrubbing extra hard at his hands desperately trying to remove the oil stains. Whilst scrubbing his stained skin Dean's mind wandered back to the garage, back to his and Charlie's conversation. Back to Cas.

Dean groaned as his dick stirred to life at the thought of his friend. His skin heated up even more with embarrassment that Cas unknowingly had such an effect on him. Dean reluctantly turned his attention to his slowly hardening dick, wrapping his soapy hand around the shaft and slowly began to jerk himself off.

Dean braced himself against the shower wall, biting back several more groans that were building up in his throat. Dean continued sliding his hand up and down the shaft and swiping his thumb over the slit with each stroke.

Dean tried frantically to think of something other than Cas, his mind flipping through the numerous images of naked women trying to find an adequate substitute. His pace quickened as he settled on an image of a naked brunette laying across the end of a dock, a scenic view of a lake behind her.

Dean could feel his climax coming closer as he continued to focus his energy on visualizing the girl. Her hands drifting up to her naked body, toying with her breasts, rubbing her crotch all while making dead eye contact with Dean. A groan rumbled in the back of his throat as he placed his forehead on the shower wall as well.

Suddenly the image changed. To a memory.

To when Bobby had taken Sam and Dean to the lake, Sam had brought Gabriel with him and Cas had tagged along as well. That had even the first and only time Dean had seen Cas without his shirt on, and the sight of his perfectly tanned skin stretched taut over his toned muscles had nearly made Dean come in his swimming trunks.

The mental image of Cas replacing the brunette flooded Dean's mind before he had the chance to stop. Now it was Castiel laying on the dock, no shirt in sight. Bright blue swim trunks still hugged his hips, but even they were unable to hide the tent that was forming.

Dean gasped as his sudden orgasm ripped through his body. Ropes of white, hot cum shot out of him at an alarming velocity. Dean felt the heat of embarrassment flood his body even before his orgasm ended. This hadn't been the first time Dean had reached his climax while thinking of Cas, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing every time he saw Cas again.

Dean knew that it was wrong, but he couldn't stop no matter how much he tried. No matter how much he tried he couldn't get Cas out of his mind. Cas wasn't even gay, or bi in the least like Dean. Cas was just about as straight as they come, he even is living with his current girlfriend, Meg.

Dean never liked Meg. Even before she started dating Cas. Now, especially since she dating Cas.

Sighing, Dean cleaned up the shower, before giving himself another quick wash down. Dean turned off the water, reached outside the curtain until his fingers found the rough fabric of a towel. Tugging the towel off its rack and wrapping it around his waist, Dean stepped out of the shower. Dean spent the next thirty minutes trying to find a shirt and a different color of flannel to wear, which was ultimately pointless because he chose the same red one he wore earlier today.

Dean checked the clock again, 7:00 it read. Dean groaned again, he still had half an hour to kill. Dean flopped down on his couch and stared off into space, dreading the upcoming ride with the man he had jerked himself off to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd that's chapter 3! Once again I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please don hesitate to comment your thoughts and critiques I absolutely love hearing from you guys. Same place, same time next week?  
> -LemonMoon


	4. God Damn, Stupid Keys

"Damn it." Dean cursed under his breath as he glanced at the clock. 7:40 it read. He was going to be late. Again.

Dean leaped from the couch and yanked on his jacket. Dean hurried out of the door before fumbling with his keys as he tried to lock it back up. "Damn it." Dean said slightly louder than before. Finally getting his keys under control, and the door properly locked, Dean jogged over to his car.

After having yet another tussle with more keys as Dean tried to unlock both the driver and passenger door, he was finally on the road.

"God damn, stupid keys." Dean muttered under his breath as he drove. Glancing at his glove compartment Dean leaned over, making sure to keep his eyes on the road as much as possible, and opened the glove compartment. Dean's fingers wrapped around a small plastic rectangle and he returned to a sitting position.

Dean popped the cassette in before leaning over one final time to shut the glove compartment. Dean felt the tension that had taken a firm hold of his shoulder slowly slip away as the familiar notes of Metallica fill the car.

Only to have it return seconds later as he thinks of the Roadhouse.

Ellen Harvelle had been the closest thing Dean had to a mother since she entered his life. Well, since she and her daughter Jo entered Bobby's life. Bobby had stumbled into the Roadhouse one fateful night looking to drink away the troubles that plagued him. Instead of getting blackout drunk, Bobby struck up a conversation with the owner of the bar and they became fast friends.

A ghost of a smile tugged at Dean's lips at the memory, Bobby and Ellen used the word 'friend' to describe their relationship, but everyone else knew better.

The light in front of Dean switched from green to yellow. Briefly, Dean debated stepping on the gas to beat the light before it turned red. Reluctantly Dean eased up on the accelerator and slowly pressed on the brakes coaxing Baby to a stop. Dean stared at the solid red light for a few seconds before his attention drifted to the sky behind it.

The sun was just beginning to dip behind the horizon, golden rays stretching out every direction to coat the world in a yellow hue. Tendrils of red and pink streaked across the sky, bleeding into the orange. The sky behind Dean was already shedding its color and brandishing stars in its wake, the inky blackness slowly creeping forwards to swallow up the rest of the sky.

A loud honk drew Dean from his daydream. Startled Dean glanced at the stoplight, which was now sporting a neon green light. Dean grumbled to himself before accelerating forward towards Cas's apartment complex.

After driving a few more minutes, the apartment complex is finally in sight. Butterflies swarm his stomach again as dean pulls into the turn lane before entering the parking lot. Dean glances at Cas's building, the furthest one from the road, and heaven a sigh.

After what seemed like an extremely long ride, Dean pulls into an empty spot in front of the building. Dean turns off the engine, unrolling his window as to not overheat. Glancing at the clock Dean can't help but smirk, even if he was a little late, Case was later. 8:11 it read. But then be heard it.

It sounded like yelling.

Instinctively Dean leaned closer to the open window to possibly make out what was being said. Dean looked up the apartment building to try a different find a source for the yelling, and when he did his heart fell into his stomach.

On the third floor, by the stairway, was Castiel and his girlfriend Meg. Meg appeared to be yelling something at Cas, she was pointing her finger at him sometimes and gesturing angrily other times. Cas seemed to hold his composer from what Dean could see, but he was also clearly yelling.

It seemed Dean had caught the tail end of the conversation because Meg turned on her heels and stormed down the stairs to the bottom floor. Dean quickly rolled up his window, as if that would make him look any less suspicious.

When Meg reached the bottom floor and her eyes fell upon the black Chevy parked in front of her building her face flushed red. Dean noticed her hands ball into even tighter fists than they already were, Dean worried for a moment she might rush over.

Castiel was now behind her on the stairs, Cas called out to her as he descended. Meg whipped around and shouted at him a bit more, now point at _Dean_ . Cas looked to where she was pointing, and Dean could see his face fall at the sight of him.

Meg shouted a few more words Dean couldn't hear before she stormed off to her car, got in, and drove away. Once she was gone Dean opened his door and stepped out, turning his head to watch Meg's car disappear as he walked over to Cas.

"What was that all about?" Dean questioned, turning his gaze to Cas. Dean was slightly taken aback by the sight of his friend, Cas looked more tired than usual, a bright red handprint was plastered to his right cheek, his normally bright blue eyes shone dully in the light of the setting sun. "You ok, man?"

"I'm fine." Was all Cas muttered, his gaze still trained on where Meg's car had gone.

"You sure, 'cause that," Dean said pointing to the handprint on Castiel's face, "Doesn't look 'fine'. " Dean said, even using the air-quotes Cas was so fond of. That brought a little bit of a smile to the dark-haired man face, which in turn made Dean smile.

"Really, I'm fine. We just-," Castiel paused, his eyes flicking over Dean's face for a moment, seemingly glazed with worry, "Had a little argument." He finished. Cas suddenly straightened, composing himself before turning his body fully to Dean with a small smile.

"Shall we go? It seems to me we are a little late already." Cas suggested stealing a glance at his watch as he spoke. Dean eyed him cautiously for a moment, trying to get a proper read of his features.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Sammy will have my head on a plate if I'm late again." Dean agreed, adding the last bit with a small chuckle. Dean turned to head back in the direction of the Impala, but not before catching a glimpse at the smile that tugged at Cas's lips. Dean opened the door and ducked into the car, Cas following suit.

"Ok," Dean said clapping his hands and rubbing them together, "Let's go get shit-faced." Cas's smile widened at Dean's words and he gave a slight chuckle.

"For once I agree with you. I'm going to need quite a bit of alcohol tonight." As he spoke Cas's smile faded, Dean cast a concerned look in his direction as he began backing out of the parking space.

"Are you sure you're ok, man? I don't think I've ever seen Meg that mad. You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Dean questioned, switching his attention between Cas and the road. The mark on the side of his face looked less red in the orange glow of dusk. For the sake of Castiel's pride, Dean hoped the mark would fade or be lost in the darkness of the bar. Cas shook his head and turned his gaze to the setting sun.

"Maybe someday, but right now I just want to get to the bar, celebrate with my best friends brother, and forget this night for as long as the alcohol stays in my system." Cas droned in his gravelly voice. Dean stole one final glance at Cas to find him looking back at him, the small smile returned to his face. Dean returned his smile before shifting in his seat and looking back at the road.

"All right then." Dean said as they continued down the road. Cas's eyes stayed fixed on the setting sun, Dean fought to keep his eyes on the road and not become completely entranced by the halo of golden light that shone around Cas. Dean would be lying if he said that he didn't die a little inside every time Cas called him his 'best friend'. Dean knew it was stupid, in his mind he knew that Castiel didn't share any of the same feelings he felt for him, but his heart was still hopeful. 

Forcing down his feelings for the time being, Dean shook out his shoulders slightly and continued driving to the Roadhouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for such a late upload, today was a rather crazy day and I barely had time to finish the chapter during the day. I hope you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless, and I will see you all next week. (Hopefully)


	5. Authors Note

Hey guys, how's it going? 

So, I'm sorry, but there will be no chapter today. 

I'm not used to keeping to a deadline while writing a story, I usually just write whenever I feel like writing and post a chapter when I'm finished. What I've realized with posting on a deadline, is that I will use a lot of filler text to make a chapter the correct length, and rush through it to get it out on time. 

I really like this story and I would like to not burn myself out of it and abandon it altogether. So, I'm going to go back to the way I know best. This will mean that chapters will be irregular, and spaced probably far in between. But the quality will hopefully go up. I don't know if y'all were as aware as I was with the decline in chapter quality. The first chapter I wrote in two hours because I was so in love with the story line, but as time went on and I didn't have the proper time to get a good idea on what came next, the chapter quality decreased greatly. 

I apologize for this sudden Authors Note and change in schedule, but I can assure you it will pay off in the end. 

-Lemon Moon


End file.
